UA Fundraising Campaign Nets Record-Breaking $226M

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama on Wednesday announced it had raised almost $226 million from nearly 60,000 donors to set a new fundraising record for the fiscal year.

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The Rising Tide Capital Campaign aims to raise $1.5 billion to elevate the UA campus, ranging from student scholarships and faculty research to campus facilities and athletics.

The 10-year campaign is beginning its seventh year and UA says it has raised more than $1.16 billion to date.

“UA’s extraordinary fundraising success is a direct reflection of how our faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and friends steadfastly support our mission and vision,” UA President Stuart R. Bell said. “Our stature as a leader in higher education continues to be enhanced by the generous philanthropy of our many stakeholders, and as a result, our students reap the rewards of the Alabama experience.”

One of the major donations highlighted was the family of ADTRAN founder Mark Smith's $20 million gift to the Performing Arts Academic Center. The center will be named the Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts following approval by the UA System Board of Trustees.

The Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts will connect to the restored Bryce Main and will house four new performance theatres for the department of theatre and dance as well as UA’s new Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center in Bryce Main.

What's more, UA said several gifts made this year established new endowed chairs and professorships, including 75 new endowed faculty positions by the campaign's conclusion in 2026.

In 2021-2022, five new chairs and professorships were committed across five academic departments, including ...

• Robert and Laura Abernathy Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry
• Bromberg Family Endowed Professorship in Marketing
• Christian Mitchell Endowed Professorship in Real Estate
• William B. Oakley Endowed Professorship in Information Technology
• Sidney A. and Angela B. Tankersley Endowed Professorship in Metallurgical Engineering

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